Students of Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local government areas have protested against the non remittance of the 40 percent oil derivation fund to the oil producing communities in Ondo state.
The students who converged at the front of the state Accountant General office close to Government House at Alagbaka also protested against non-payment of the bursary and abandonment of their communities by the state government.
They barricaded the road pasabsing through the front of Government House, preventing workers in the Accountant General’s office from gaining entry into the premises.
Addressing newsmen during the protest, the leaders of the students’ association took turn to blame the state government for not remitting the 40 percent derivation fund accruing to the oil producing area of the state to the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) for the execution of projects in the communities.
The students led by various leaders from Ilaje and Ese- Odo alleged that the Chairman of the commission, Sam Erejuwa, had failed the communities and students from the communities as he has not paid the bursary.
The students expressed their anger on how the state government abandoned their communities, saying most of the communities have been submerged by ocean surge.
One of them,National president of Ilaje student,Kehinde Agbejoye Said their parents means of livelihood have been deprived making it difficult for them to pay their school fees.
Agbejoye disclosed that a number of projects embarked upon by previous administration in the had been abandoned by the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led administration since inception.
Others said the failure of the state government to remit the 40 percent derivation fund to the OSOPADEC has deprived the oil producing communities of infrastructure development.
They, however, gave the state government a 7-day ultimatum to remit all the funds accruing to the oil producing communities to OSOPADEC.
Likewise,they gave OSOPADEC a two-week ultimatum to pay all backlog of bursary due to students of high institutions of learning from the oil producing area also complete all abandoned projects in the area.
